Naruto's action filled Kakashi with relief.
Walking over, Kakashi said, "If you don't stop the bleeding soon, you might die, you know."
Naruto, who had been resolute just moments before, panicked at the mention of death. "Ah! I don't want to die!"
Kakashi sighed and was about to bandage his wound.
However, as he picked up Naruto's hand, he noticed that the wound was already beginning to heal.
Kakashi was taken aback. Is this the power of the Nine-Tails? Its regenerative abilities are truly remarkable.
While Kakashi dressed his wound, Naruto kept asking, "Kakashi-sensei, am I really going to die?"
Kakashi shook his head. "You're fine."
After finishing the bandage, Kakashi addressed the group. "The next part of this mission will be very dangerous. Sakura, Sasuke, do you want to return to Konoha or continue with the mission?"
Sasuke glanced at Yoruha, then, as if to challenge him, said, "Of course, I'll continue with the mission."
Sakura, though reluctant, was still shaken from the earlier attack when the two ninjas had nearly killed her.
But since Sasuke had made his decision, she mustered her courage and said, "Whatever Sasuke does, I'll do too."
Naruto, who had walked over, also said firmly, "Next time, I won't be the same as before!"
Kakashi nodded. "Alright, then we'll continue the mission."
The group resumed their journey.
Throughout the walk, Sasuke's gaze never left Yoruha.
Yoruha's earlier display of power was far beyond his own.
Even though Sasuke's first real combat performance had been the best among the three genin of Team 7, the gap between him and Yoruha was immense.
This guy doesn't even have a Sharingan, yet he's so fast. He defeated two chunin in an instant. He's my age, but I'm nowhere near his level, Sasuke thought.
If this continues, how will I ever defeat that man?
Thinking of Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's determination grew even stronger.
The shock Yoruha had given him earlier was too overwhelming.
Maybe if I can defeat Yoruha, I'll be able to defeat him, Sasuke thought.
To Sasuke, Yoruha seemed to possess the same talent as his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.
Back when Itachi wiped out the Uchiha clan, he was only 13 years old.
At 13, Itachi already had the strength to annihilate the entire Uchiha clan.
At 13, Itachi had reached the level of a Kage.
If Yoruha knew Sasuke was comparing him to Itachi in terms of talent, he certainly wouldn't agree.
Yoruha didn't believe he could reach Kage-level strength in just a year.
After all, he hadn't even mastered a truly destructive jutsu yet.
The first time he tried "Chidori," it had seemed like a success, but Yoruha considered it a complete failure.
He hadn't been able to control it properly.
Meanwhile, Sakura also kept looking at Yoruha, her curiosity piqued.
Back in the Ninja Academy, she hadn't realized Yoruha was so skilled.
In fact, she hadn't even been aware of Yoruha's existence back then.
Yoruha had been so unassuming that he barely registered.
Now, his displayed strength clearly showed he had completely hidden his abilities during their time at the academy.
What kind of temperament does it take to suppress the urge to show off such talent at such a young age? Sakura wondered.
Walking beside Yoruha, she couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Yoruha, why don't I have much of an impression of you from our time at the ninja academy?" Sakura asked curiously as they walked.
Yoruha responded calmly, "Maybe it's because I'm too ordinary."
Sakura shot him a glare. "You? Ordinary? I think you might already be as strong as Kakashi-sensei now."
In Sakura's eyes, Yoruha and Kakashi were nearly on the same level. After all, Yoruha's stunning feat of taking down two chunin in an instant had left her deeply impressed.
Yoruha waved dismissively. "That just means you don't understand Kakashi-sensei's true strength. He's currently one of the strongest jonin in the Hidden Leaf Village."
"Don't be fooled by his seemingly lazy demeanor," Yoruha continued. "In reality, Kakashi-sensei has an impressive reputation in the ninja world. He became a jonin at our age and achieved many great feats back then."
"At that time, his mentor was none other than the Fourth Hokage."
Sakura, who initially just wanted to learn more about Yoruha, was stunned by his explanation.
While she had heard some details about Kakashi from Ino, all she knew was that he was strong. But Ino never mentioned that Kakashi was one of the strongest jonin in the village.
Even Sasuke was taken aback to learn just how powerful Kakashi really was.
Naruto, on the other hand, exclaimed in disbelief, "No way! Kakashi-sensei may be a jonin, but there's no way he's that amazing. And his teacher was the Fourth Hokage?!"
The Fourth Hokage was Naruto's idol.
Although Naruto didn't know that the Fourth Hokage was his father, he deeply admired him as the hero who sealed the Nine-Tails and saved the Hidden Leaf Village.
Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage, like the Fourth Hokage, stemmed from hearing stories of his heroics. He wanted to be someone who could gain the acceptance of the entire village.
So when Naruto learned that Kakashi had been the Fourth Hokage's disciple, he was utterly shocked.
Seeing Naruto's reaction, Yoruha said, "This isn't classified information."
"Kakashi-sensei became a jonin at just 12 years old—our current age—thanks to his battlefield achievements."
"He's also known in the ninja world as the 'Copy Ninja,' with a fearsome reputation."
"In fact, during the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi-sensei was already well-known on the battlefield."
"And yes, during that time, the Fourth Hokage was indeed his teacher."
"Additionally, Kakashi graduated from the ninja academy at just five years old and became a chunin at six."
As Yoruha shared these incredible details, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all stared at Kakashi in astonishment.
The seemingly lazy man in front of them was actually this powerful?
They could hardly believe it.
Yet, they knew Yoruha had no reason to lie to them.
Even Tazuna, their client, now looked at Kakashi with a satisfied expression, feeling like he had hit the jackpot. After all, having such a powerful ninja as his escort, while only paying for a C-rank mission, was a huge bargain.
With Kakashi present, Tazuna felt confident that the jonin Kado hired wouldn't pose a threat to him.
Kakashi, however, looked a bit uncomfortable. "Alright, enough about the past," he said.
Yoruha smiled. "Just making small talk."
In truth, Yoruha's words were mainly directed at Sasuke.
Sasuke had always been obsessed with seeking power. For the sake of revenge, he was even willing to join Orochimaru, risking his body being taken over, all for the sake of gaining strength.
Yoruha wanted Sasuke to understand that by following Kakashi, he could also become incredibly strong.
In Yoruha's opinion, what Sasuke truly needed wasn't the Curse Mark but a deeper mastery of the Sharingan.
Without properly developing his Sharingan, even with the Curse Mark, Sasuke's potential would only go as far as the kage level.
While being kage-level strong was already extraordinary for most ninja, it wouldn't be enough to face the challenges of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Yoruha understood that Sasuke needed to aim higher.
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